Support for frames



(NoMbdeL) 0. C. BLACKMER.

SUPPORT FOR FRAMES.

No. 421,542. Patented Feb. 18,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORLANDO C. BLAOKMER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

SUPPORT FOR FRAMES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,542, dated February 18, 1890. Application filed October 24,1889- Serial No. 328,063. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ORLANDO O. BLAOKMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports for Frames,

&c., of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a support which is adapted for use in sustaining various articles-such as picture-frames, photographs, cards, books, drawing-boards, and the like--in an upright or inclined position. It is common to provide small frames, cards, and the like with a hinged leg or legs whereby to support them in an upright or inclined position; but such appliances as usually constructed are insuificient, because they have no means for locking the lower ends of said legs in their extended position, and therefore a slight shock is sufficient to throw them down, often resulting in the breaking of the glass of the frame or in soiling the'picture or card. I have overcome these difficulties by providing a support, which consists, essentially, of two legs and a central part adapted to engage a notch or stop in or on the back of the object to be supported, the upper ends of the legs being secured with the top or sides of the article to be supported, the whole being formed integrally, and preferably from a single piece of wire, sheet metal, stiff pasteboard, or other resilient material, and adapted to be folded fiat against the back of the object supported and extended for use simply by causing the upper ends of the brace to engage the stop or notch.

The invention may be embodied in a variety of forms, and it will therefore be understood that the forms shown are intended to be illustrative merely.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View of the support detached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the support and an article held thereby. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred form of construction, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a support formed from a fiat sheet of materiaL.

In the drawings, A represents the article to be supported, which may be a card, pho tograph, picture=frame, book, tablet, or the like, and which articles are usually desired to be supported in an inclined position, one edge resting upon a table.

The support comprises two legs B B, which will usually stand in an upright position and will have theirupper ends secured to the upper end of the article to be supported. These legs will usually be constructed integrally with a brace or locking-legs, which consist of the two converging members b, the upper end of which will be adapted to engage a locking notch, catch, or stop E, provided in or on the back of the article to be supported. In some instances the catch might be dispensed with, as the surfaces of the article to be supported might be sufliciently rough to hold the end of the locking-arms; or where cloth or like material is engaged by them the friction alone might be suificient. The upper end may be pointed, or it may carry a friction-stop.

The support maybe formed from a single piece of wire bent to provide the supporting and bracing legs, or it may be out from a sheet of metal, card-board, or other resilient material, the only essential being that it shall be strong enough to prevent collapsing, and yet resilient enough to permit the brace or locking member to be deflected at an angle to the upright portion to adapt it to engagewith the back of the article, and thereby to hold the supporting-legs in their upright position.

I prefer to make the device from wire and to provide the locking-legs with a straight portion b, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, so as to give a bearing of such breadth as will impart additional rigidity to the support.

It is obvious that modifications of the particular construction herein shown and described may be made Within wide limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim-- 1. A support consisting of a pair of legs adapted at their upper ends for securement with the article to be supported and having integrally formed with their lower ends a brace normally in the plane of the legs, and adapted to be flexed at an angle thereto to engage the article to be supported and lock too the legs in their extended position, substantially as described.

2. A support comprising upright legs adapted at their upper ends for securement with the article to be supported and having an integrztl bracing-leg upturned from their lower ends and lying normally in the plane of the upright legs, the whole constructed from resilient material, whereby the bracing-leg is adapted to be flexed to engage the article and to thereby lock the supporting-legs in their extended position, substantially as described.

ORLANDO C. BLAOKMER.

\Vitnesses:

FREDERICK O. GooDWIN, N. M. BOND. 

